Southwest Florida feels government shutdown

Published: Monday, September 30, 2013 at 6:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, September 30, 2013 at 6:41 p.m.

SARASOTA - Visitors hoping to check out De Soto National Memorial might be out of luck Tuesday, and channel dredging at Port Manatee may be delayed. But for the most part, a government shutdown overnight would only be felt across much of Southwest Florida if it dragged on.

Mail carriers would still make their routes, residents would receive Medicare and Social Security benefits and air traffic controllers would monitor Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. Leaders of several local agencies and government departments said residents will only feel the sting of reduced services if a shutdown lasted a week, or a month.

Historically, shutdowns have lasted only days.

So Sarasota National Cemetery Director John Rosentrater's mindset summed up the view of many government officials Monday as Congress went to the brink.

“We'll be taking each day at a time,” Rosentrater said.

The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs' “Field Guide to Government Shutdown” said burials at cemeteries would continue at a reduced schedule.

Sarasota National Cemetery averages eight burials a day, Rosentrater said. If a shutdown continued for several weeks, the cemetery could see a reduction in personnel.

De Soto National Memorial, however, was poised for an immediate impact. Jorge Acevedo, parks superintendent for the memorial, said he would be the sole employee to continue working and would “guide and protect” the park while eight other employees would be furloughed.

At Port Manatee, the shutdown would also be felt right away. The port is scheduled to have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey a channel that needs maintenance dredging, said Dave Sanford, the port's interim chief of staff. If the engineers are furloughed, the whole project stalls, Sanford said.

Who will be affected

Seniors and children could see some of the greatest impacts if the shutdown is prolonged.

Senior Friendship Centers delivers meals to people in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties. The government helps fund the service through reimbursements.

“What we would probably do” if a shutdown occurs “is continue to serve the meals and kind of hold our breath waiting for the federal government to get its act together,” senior vice president Erin McLeod said.

“We don't want to panic, and we don't want to shut down anybody's services,” McLeod said. “We know for some folks this is the one square meal they get a day.”

The organization serves, on average, 326 meals a day in Sarasota and Venice, she said.

Meals on Wheels of Sarasota, which does not rely on federal funding, could jump in and help Senior Friendship Centers during the shutdown, executive director Terry McGannon said.

Senior Friendship Centers already lost about 30 percent of its federal funding — a cutback of 110,000 meals — to sequester cuts this spring, McLeod said.

“You keep thinking this can't be real. Is it real?” she said of the cuts.

It's a sentiment shared by Kristen Theisen, vice president of development at Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee. The organization relies on federal funding for several programs, including meal delivery and adult daycare centers.

Over the past couple of years, Theisen said the funding has been trimmed repeatedly. The organization is running out of other sources. If the organization loses more funding, it will have to consider instituting a waiting list for services, she said.

A waitlist is already the reality for Children First, which administers the Head Start program in Sarasota County.

Because of the sequester cuts, Children First, which provides daycare and preschool for the children of impoverished parents, lost $250,000 of its approximately $5 million in federal funding, CEO Philip Tavill said.

“We already had a waitlist for our services and this added 56 children with serious risk in their lives to that waitlist, to make it 300 now,” Tavill said.

The agency “runs really lean” said Tavill, and is paid after expenses already are incurred.

“With a prolonged shutdown,” Tavill said, “we will get to a point where we will have to stop providing service, because we won't be able to pay our employees.”

School impacts

The Sarasota County School district, meanwhile, received $25.7 million in federal grants for “supplemental services” this school year, the district's chief financial officer, Mitsi Corcoran, said.

The big ticket items covered by the grants include after-school tutoring for low income students, funding for students with disabilities and additional professional development for teachers, she said.

“As much as they are truly vital to the benefit of a student's education, it is possible if we were never to see another one of those dollars for the district to continue operation,” she said.

Most of the funding comes in monthly reimbursements to the county, Corcoran said. The Department of Education sent Sarasota County schools an email last week reminding them to file requests for reimbursement so they would at least be reimbursed for all of September.

“Then it would be a matter of waiting to see what would happen,” Corcoran said.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Visitors hoping to check out De Soto National Memorial might be out of luck Tuesday, and channel dredging at Port Manatee may be delayed. But for the most part, a government shutdown overnight would only be felt across much of Southwest Florida if it dragged on. </p><p>Mail carriers would still make their routes, residents would receive Medicare and Social Security benefits and air traffic controllers would monitor Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. Leaders of several local agencies and government departments said residents will only feel the sting of reduced services if a shutdown lasted a week, or a month.</p><p>Historically, shutdowns have lasted only days.</p><p>So Sarasota National Cemetery Director John Rosentrater's mindset summed up the view of many government officials Monday as Congress went to the brink.</p><p>“We'll be taking each day at a time,” Rosentrater said.</p><p>The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs' “Field Guide to Government Shutdown” said burials at cemeteries would continue at a reduced schedule. </p><p>Sarasota National Cemetery averages eight burials a day, Rosentrater said. If a shutdown continued for several weeks, the cemetery could see a reduction in personnel.</p><p>De Soto National Memorial, however, was poised for an immediate impact. Jorge Acevedo, parks superintendent for the memorial, said he would be the sole employee to continue working and would “guide and protect” the park while eight other employees would be furloughed. </p><p>At Port Manatee, the shutdown would also be felt right away. The port is scheduled to have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey a channel that needs maintenance dredging, said Dave Sanford, the port's interim chief of staff. If the engineers are furloughed, the whole project stalls, Sanford said. </p><p><b>Who will be affected</b> </p><p>Seniors and children could see some of the greatest impacts if the shutdown is prolonged. </p><p>Senior Friendship Centers delivers meals to people in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties. The government helps fund the service through reimbursements.</p><p>“What we would probably do” if a shutdown occurs “is continue to serve the meals and kind of hold our breath waiting for the federal government to get its act together,” senior vice president Erin McLeod said.</p><p>“We don't want to panic, and we don't want to shut down anybody's services,” McLeod said. “We know for some folks this is the one square meal they get a day.” </p><p>The organization serves, on average, 326 meals a day in Sarasota and Venice, she said.</p><p>Meals on Wheels of Sarasota, which does not rely on federal funding, could jump in and help Senior Friendship Centers during the shutdown, executive director Terry McGannon said. </p><p>Senior Friendship Centers already lost about 30 percent of its federal funding — a cutback of 110,000 meals — to sequester cuts this spring, McLeod said. </p><p>“You keep thinking this can't be real. Is it real?” she said of the cuts. </p><p>It's a sentiment shared by Kristen Theisen, vice president of development at Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee. The organization relies on federal funding for several programs, including meal delivery and adult daycare centers. </p><p>Over the past couple of years, Theisen said the funding has been trimmed repeatedly. The organization is running out of other sources. If the organization loses more funding, it will have to consider instituting a waiting list for services, she said. </p><p>A waitlist is already the reality for Children First, which administers the Head Start program in Sarasota County.</p><p>Because of the sequester cuts, Children First, which provides daycare and preschool for the children of impoverished parents, lost $250,000 of its approximately $5 million in federal funding, CEO Philip Tavill said. </p><p>“We already had a waitlist for our services and this added 56 children with serious risk in their lives to that waitlist, to make it 300 now,” Tavill said. </p><p>The agency “runs really lean” said Tavill, and is paid after expenses already are incurred.</p><p>“With a prolonged shutdown,” Tavill said, “we will get to a point where we will have to stop providing service, because we won't be able to pay our employees.”</p><p><b>School impacts</b> </p><p>The Sarasota County School district, meanwhile, received $25.7 million in federal grants for “supplemental services” this school year, the district's chief financial officer, Mitsi Corcoran, said. </p><p>The big ticket items covered by the grants include after-school tutoring for low income students, funding for students with disabilities and additional professional development for teachers, she said.</p><p>“As much as they are truly vital to the benefit of a student's education, it is possible if we were never to see another one of those dollars for the district to continue operation,” she said.</p><p>Most of the funding comes in monthly reimbursements to the county, Corcoran said. The Department of Education sent Sarasota County schools an email last week reminding them to file requests for reimbursement so they would at least be reimbursed for all of September.</p><p>“Then it would be a matter of waiting to see what would happen,” Corcoran said. </p><p><i>Staff writer Michael Pollick contributed to this report.</i></p>